Reassurances
by frankiewode
Summary: The Tardis has its quiet moments, so sometimes, Rory and the Doctor talk. And sometimes, they even bond...  *CHAPTER 8* The Doctor hates to see children cry, so why is he so reluctant?
1. Reassurances

Reassurances

**A/N:** I am totally one of the people who thinks Doctor Who is frickin' awesome this year! So far at least. The story has me totally hooked and the Silence are terrifying. Oh and also I'm a hardcore Rory lover and Rory/Amy shipper so... yeah. Their moments this episode were so adorable, and will doubtless cause much speculation ^^  
>I thought Rory would be sort of annoyed that the Doctor didn't tell him about Amy - considering what danger they get into. So this is my take on their conversation after the events of the opening 2-parter.<p>

_Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who._

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><p>"So..." Rory says as he sidles next to the Doctor. Amy is taking a short nap at the moment, so perfect opportunity, Rory thinks.<p>

"So...?" The Doctor echoes as he fiddles with the assortment of shiny buttons on the Tardis's central control. Rory winces; for as capable as he knows the Doctor is, it's times like this that he misses River Song the most.

Rory releases that short nervous laugh of his and almost trips against the grated flooring. "She-uh... she meant me. She meant _me_..." Rory laughs again and can't help but beam at his tweed attired companion.  
>The Doctor halts and draws back to observe Rory's quiet elation... a smile quirks at the corner of his mouth. "Did she now? Well, <em>Rory<em> my boy, that was some kiss!" He winks, and Rory draws a hand through his hair but the smile stays, incandescent in its brilliance. "The Last Centurion, ladies and gentleman! ...Really something."

Silence ensues between the pair for a while. It isn't anything awkward, instead something comfortable. It happens when the words run out. It happens a lot around Rory. Usually the Doctor never stops talking; he is always finding opportunities to be silent. But around Rory it's like he doesn't need to dazzle the man with his brilliant wit and otherworldly experiences; because honestly, Rory probably wouldn't care – Amy is his world. Things are always unspoken between them, and that is what a friend is to the Doctor. It's nice to be relaxed for once, he thinks and wonders how in the world a timid, insignificant nurse from Leadworth could possibly have become his equal...

Well... not his equal, of course...  
>It's just he can't think of that little man as his inferior. He has a silent intelligence about him – the Doctor boasts his incessantly. Everyone likes Rory – everyone LOVES the Doctor, but of course with such a strong personality, it's really one way or the other. Rory is lovable naturally, like a puppy, yes like a loyal puppy. The Doctor doesn't have an animal equivalent.<br>The Doctor flits in and out of time, and Rory lived it for 2,000 years. Rory has seen more of humanity than even the Doctor now, the ultimate authority.

Rory shuffles beside him and the Doctor looks up to see that the smile is still plastered across his face. It falters slightly as a lambent darkness falls across his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asks, and everything is serious now. "I needed to know that my wife was pregnant, especially if we were _travelling_."  
>"Maybe that's why she didn't tell you?"<p>

"Still!" He insists. "You should have told me, Doctor! That child could have been in danger." Hardly anyone stands up to the Doctor knowing who and what he is... It takes a very special person. Rory is hardly timid when it comes to defending his beloved wife. The Doctor sighs and takes a glance at the brightness of the screen, the screen which just a few hours before had flickered obsessively in confusion. "Look Rory... Rory, _Rory_... I'm sorry. You are perfectly right, I should have told you." Of course he would have done exactly the same thing given another chance, but would-be fathers are a wrath he would rather avoid, so he tells Rory what he thinks he wants to hear.

Rory only frowns and taps his fingers against a control. "No... No, I know you shouldn't... Not when we were in the middle of that. I-I would have screwed everything up, wouldn't I?" He leans back and tries to keep himself sober from emotion. "I get too wrapped up... over the littlest things... I'm sorry." Rory is beginning to doubt himself again, the Doctor can see it. There is nothing the Doctor can do to finally convince him that it is _Rory_ who Amy loves and not the Doctor. Rory will never totally believe it, he will never believe he has 100 per cent of her heart; he'll think 50, maybe 60 per cent if he's lucky. The Doctor will forever be a shadow, an ever-present third wheel in their relationship, whether he is physically there or not.

Amy is the only one who has a chance of convincing Rory, so the Doctor doesn't even try. What he does is reaffirm his love for _her_; because in the end, it's the most important thing.  
>He pats his friend on the shoulder and says, "I couldn't have done it without you, Rory... and neither could she." It's all Rory really needs to hear, for now...<p>

Rory laughs nervously again and straightens. "Well at least she wasn't actually pregnant... So, I-uh I guess everything's okay." The smile returns to his face with a new confidence. "She meant me. Yes, _yes_ she did."  
>He wanders across the Tardis and finds Amy dozing on a seat – she looks much more delicate when she is sleeping. He leans over her and nuzzles his narrow chin into her neck, smiling into her hair.<p>

The Doctor smiles but it is the least he has ever meant it.  
>He glances back to the glaring screen and pulls a switch. It vanishes to black.<p>

"Everything's okay," he reassures himself. "Everything is okay."

The Doctor has _never_ had to reassure himself before.

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><p><strong>AN:** I would have written a longer conversation, I think. A more casual one at first, about what happened, then drawing into the more personal factors. I love Rory and the Doctor as friends. But I'm tired and I wanted to get this out tonight. If anyone enjoys this I might add another chapter, to expand upon their friendship. One idea - I really want the Doctor telling Rory River Song kissed him. Ahh locker-room kinda chat. (; Anyway, **R**&**R** if you will please!


	2. Moon River

Reassurances - **Moon River**

**A/N:** So... I'm expanding this into a series of ficlets with Rory/Doctor bonding time ^^  
>I'll probably do at least one per episode, referencing something from it. It'll never be slash, just to let you know. RoryAmy and River/Doctor all the way.

_Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who._

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><p>The Doctor limbo's over to Rory and winks. Then he ruffles his hair. Then he grabs him by the neck, or the cheeks, Rory can't really remember which because the Doctor plants a large kiss on his nose. Then the Doctor winks again. Now Rory really can't stand it. "Doctor!" He cries before the he can try anything else that disturbs him. "W-What are you doing, exactly?"<p>

"Oh, Rory, Rory, Rory!" He chimes, and skips around the controls. "I'm just feeling overbearingly _sexy_ today. Nothing wrong with a little affection is there?" _Yes,_ Rory thinks... there is. But he thinks he can handle it as long as those affections don't transfer to his wife. The Doctor gives him a knowing smile and laughs. "You know you've always been my favourite, Rory."

"You know you're beginning to sound drunk... or the time lord equivalent, wait can you even _get_ drunk?" Rory says and the Doctor picks up his fez and sets it comfortably on his companions head.  
>"I <em>am <em>drunk!" He declares. "Drunk on _life_!... that's the best kind, Rory. Forget Leadworth, we should go to the 60s! I should really take you and Amy there. No wait, forget that. Venice. _Venice! _You'd love to meet Casanova; great friend of mine, he could give you some tips, you know. Have you ever tried an older woman, Rory? They are just _beautiful!_ Well that's completely ridiculous of course, isn't it. I keep forgetting that I'm the older man. It's easy to do you know when you've got a young and handsome face like mine. Why are you shaking your head? Don't pretend like you never noticed, Rory. Ahhhh! Ha! I see you blushing. You know it suits you, the fez; you should keep it all the time. Well not this one; this one's mine."

Rory looks around for Amy, hoping she can save him from _this_ Doctor; the Doctor that he has never seen before, talking about _things, _weird things that he can't follow. But she's nowhere to be found. Rory takes the fez off his head and sets it tentatively on the ground. The Doctor stops mid–stride and frowns at him. "Oh, _Rory..._ Not the fez."

"Just _calm_ down for a minute, Doctor and I-If you tell me what happened, and why you're acting like this... _then_ you can have it back. But if not..." Rory's foot hovers over the fez and threatens to crush it. This feels ridiculous but he's been around the Doctor long enough to know you must either treat him as 1000 year old, time travelling alien... or a child. Rory picks his moments well.

"Tell you what happened? _Ohh,_ tell you what happened..." The Doctor grins as if it is passing through his memory for the first time. He sidles up to Rory languidly and actually looks embarrassed. Rory is more shocked at this than anything he has ever seen the Doctor do. "Wow... it-uh, it sounds serious," he says.

"River Song... kissed me," the Doctor replies.

Rory relaxes at first; he doesn't usually appreciate surprise outbursts from the Doctor. But this is new, and the Doctor states it as if it is something huge to share. This is male-talk... this is... almost like they are _bonding_. Rory laughs nervously and his shoulders bounce accordingly. "Ohhh... _nice_," he draws out, like he feels he should, and a silence ensues as they lean back against the control centre together. "How-uh, how was it?"

Rory regrets it as soon as it leaves his mouth. _Great _idea, Rory, he berates himself. Encourage him why don't you?

The Doctor turns on him with a cheeky smile and nothing has scared Rory quite as much before. But the smiles falls; it's time to be serious now. "It felt as if we'd done it before," he admits. "Or maybe she'd done it before; ah, she probably has." He shrugs and brings his hands up to rest on his hip bone.

"So, do you like her?" Rory asks. "Sorry, it's probably a stupid question."  
>"Her past is my future... The first time we met, it was already planned out, everything was in stone. Sometimes it feels like I don't have a choice." The Doctors age is showing now; years of worry creasing his forehead... a distinct blackness in his eyes.<p>

"I sort of know what you mean..." Rory says, knocking a balled fist against his knee. "Sort of... I've known Amy since before I can remember, and she's been obsessed with _you_for longer. Everyone thought she was crazy; back when we were little. Making me dress up, attacking her physiatrists... all for one night; some stupid faint hope. I guess even I thought she was strange. I kept thinking that if I didn't love her no-one else would... No-one else would put up with her obsession. I thought I needed to protect her, or something, from herself." Rory laughed shortly. The Doctor was looking at him now with furrowed brows. "It's stupid, I know. It's not nearly the same. But I mean... I know what that sort of obligation feels like."

The Doctor smiles at him with real affection. "But obligation aside, you'd love her regardless?"  
>"Of course I would," Rory affirms, faintly annoyed that it's even a question. This is the strangest feeling he's ever known. Common ground with the Doctor... breathless.<br>"Would you still like River then? Even if you didn't know _what you do_."  
>"Eventually..." The Doctor smiles. "Yes... I would. I don't kiss girls I don't <em>like<em>, Rory." A vague image of Martha appears in his mind, but he quells it. He's a new Doctor now. "Usually..."

"Uh... I thought she kissed you?"  
>"Yeah, well..."<br>The Doctor grins exuberantly and winks at Rory. "Shall I tell you which one them is a better kisser?"  
>Poor Rory feels his heart drop back into his stomach.<br>"_River_ or _Amy_..." The Doctor cheekily remarks. "You're a human _male_, Rory, my boy. Don't try and tell me you never wondered.

_Oh my god...  
><em>_He isn't actually saying this? Is he? _Rory wants this male bonding to be over as quickly as possible; because it's actually getting painful.

"_You_, are impossible," he glares. But the Doctor is oblivious.

When Amy comes in later, the Doctor points to her from behind her back and attempts excessively to mouth something to Rory.  
>"What?" She asks as she catches him doing it. "Rory, <em>what <em>is he doing?"  
>"Nothing," he rushes, all too aware that an agitated flush is spreading up his neck.<p>

Rory is unable to look his wife in the eye for hours, much less her mouth.  
>He blames the Doctor... and even River a little bit too.<p>

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><p><strong>AN: **Yeah... kissing River makes the Doctor... uhm ^^" _concupiscent._ Anyway this was a little lighter than the last one. If people continue to like this I'll make sure I inspire myself to carry it on. But if anyone wants to give me a prompt, something they could bond over, I'd be happy to write it. :) **R**&**R**!


	3. Faith

Reassurances - **Faith**

**A/N:** Sorry it took me a while to get this weeks chapter out, I had an art exam today, so preparation... blah. Anyway about the latest episode. **Spoilers for people who haven't yet seen The Curse of The Black Spot**. I thought it was pretty awesome; pretty traditional Doctor Who. Sure it wasn't as great as the opening parter, _but what could be?_  
>Plus with Rory's almost death scene (again) I thought Karen's acting was BRILLIANT. Seriously. I got chills or whatever. It felt so real. People were talking about how fantastic her acting was in the Doctor's death scene in episode one. But I just thought this was so much better (honestly - no bias). I have no doubts that Amy really loves Rory now. Plus Amy with a sword is love.<p>

I really appreciate the reviews, thank you! :)  
><span>x-Avarice-x<span> - Thanks for suggesting a Rory/River bonding fic; I enjoyed writing it :) and I'm glad you liked it.  
>If anyone else wants to read it, look for it under my profile: <em>Half Unbound<em>

Anyway... Here's more Rory/Doctor bonding time :D

_Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who._

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><p>"There's something I've been meaning to ask you," says the Doctor. Rory is wrapped up in a coarse blue dressing gown; he's been shivering ever since his revival. Amy's already gone to bed.<p>

"Yes?" Rory replies; his tone is off. He shivers again and folds his arms across his chest tightly. The Doctor makes use of his namesake and determines that his companion is still in shock.  
>"You need rest, Rory. It's been a long day."<br>Rory blinks and yawns, testing his senses... or something. "Was that what you wanted to ask me, Doctor?"  
>Why... that was almost sarcasm...<p>

"No, it's... something else..." The Doctor looks at Rory; at his awkwardly tall stance, at his puppy-like rounded eyes that are squinting back at him. Why did he freeze up – become _so_ unlike himself – when Rory was facing deaths door. Usually he's the figure of authority in desperate situations, _just_ like these. He should have been able to save him... So why couldn't he?

The Doctor doesn't like it when he's found something he can't figure out...

_No..._ He _loves_ it.

Which is why he is so thorough in his 'investigations', and it is also why he asks Rory a question. "Why didn't you trust me to save you?" He says, and Rory stiffens.  
>"I'm the Doctor," he says firmly, with half a smile and cherubic dimples; hoping Rory will find it at least a little adorable. "It's what I <em>do<em>..."  
>"Amy would never give up," Rory insists; an echo chiming from what is beginning to sound like a script.<p>

"Yes," the Doctor says. "Yes, but neither would I! And I actually know how to do CPR properly. I'm a Doctor, and I have a human body, right? _Well_, almost human. There's another... heart... in there-Rory, really, I appreciate the romantic gesture of having your wife revive you, but you could have _died.._. It was a stupid, stupid idea, Rory..."

"Well... well then forgive _me_ for not thinking straight, I was only _dying_ after-all. Sorry we can't all have a brain as big as yours..." Rory huffs and averts his gaze. He doesn't really have the mood or energy for an argument right now.

"All-right, sorry, I'm sorry." The Doctor adjusts his bowtie nonchalantly. "But I want you to trust me, Rory. You need to believe that I would have saved you as-well. I would never have given up." He doesn't know why he's saying this, because it's not true, and Rory probably won't believe it.

The Doctor gave up hope almost as soon as they found him on the table, and the Doctor doesn't lose faith easily.

Death wants this boy... It has dragged him to the black pits of existence on three occasions now. He and Amy have barely managed to pull him out. Poor Amy... She has no idea how much the world is begging for her husband to die. She has no idea that they've already suspended it too long. Death will catch Rory eventually and the Doctor isn't sure whether he _should_ save him.

But that's not why he gave up.  
>He's beginning to care too much about the Ponds and especially about Rory. There's just something almost <em>un-<em>human about that man sometimes, and it intrigues him. It also makes him lose his nerve.

"It's all an image, you know"  
>The Doctor pops up his head up and sees that Rory is talking to him, not looking but talking. "What's an image, what is?"<br>Rory laughs his short little laugh and shakes his head. "You know, the whole 'I can save the world, I never give up', thing."  
>The Doctor furrows his brows... he's certainly not aware of this. He gestures for Rory to explain.<br>Rory does so, while The Doctor frowns. "Everybody thinks you're this valiant hero, when they first meet you... Most people think it for the rest of their lives..." Rory trails off... He's probably thinking of Amy.

The Doctor steps forward. "Right, yes... And what do you think?"  
>"You aren't nearly as heroic as people want to think. I think people <em>could<em> be expendable to you, if they had to be. But, I mean, not because you're heartless... because you never really form _special_ relationships with people... I think you like to be an outsider sometimes. And I don't think you've felt about anyone the way I feel about Amy... b-because even when I thought she loved you I couldn't give up." Rory takes a breath and looks the Doctor straight in the eye. "I think you must have given up, Doctor, because you're alone now."

The Doctor's hair has swung forward and it's hiding his brow and casting a shadow across the rest of his face. His eyes are black... it looks almost poetic.  
>"I think you must have given up at some point..."<p>

Rory is shockingly right as usual. It's unsettling sometimes, how well Rory can see through him. He practically makes it a living to confuse people, but Rory is never fazed. All those painful decisions in his long lived life... Losing Rose, finding her again and giving her up to another man... yes, that was by far the hardest; even if that man was himself... But somehow he always forgets; he hasn't thought of her in _so _long. It's a failing memory that keeps him going. Rory said that too... something along those lines... 2000 years worth of memories; locked away, easy to forget, terrible to remember.

The memories of his past lives are rather like that. It still puzzles the Doctor just how similar Rory is to him.

"No, no, don't say that..." Says Rory, and he slaps a hand to his forehead with a wince. The Doctor realises that he's said the last part out loud.  
>The Doctor is only <em>slightly<em> offended. He smiles. "_Rory_, I was paying you a great compliment. Everybody wants to be a time lord," He says with a wink.  
>"Mhm, no," Rory laughs nervously. "Because-because then I'll think that she only loves me because I'm like the human equivalent of <em>you<em>, Doctor."  
>"Well don't take me too seriously. You have none of my sparkling vivacity and wit."<p>

Rory laughs again exasperatedly. "_Not_ really helping."  
>The Doctor always wonders at how their conversations flow so easily from humorous quirks to dark and deep confessions.<br>"Anyway, I just keep worrying about it... even though she reassures me... Doctor... what if this never changes? I'm so _sick_ of being this insecure." Rory's voice is shaking with emotion, though he tries to keep it sober.

The Doctor places an awkward hand on Rory's shivering back. He pretends not to notice that his friend is crying silently.  
>"You were dead," The Doctor says softly. "You didn't see her face."<p>

Rory tries to stifle a sniff.  
>"I've never seen her that upset... ever, Rory. She looked as if she couldn't live without you."<br>"I can't live without her."  
>"Then you need to tell her that tonight."<p>

Rory stills and calms himself. "Thank you Doctor," he says while wiping a stray tear from his cheek. "You're good at this... consoling thing... Sometimes."  
>The Doctor gives him a slight smile and Rory heads towards the stairs where his wife is waiting. "Oh, just one thing, Doctor."<br>He turns around with his finger slightly raised. "I've died like three times now... Should I-_hah_, it sounds stupid, but should I be worried?"

He should have known.  
>Rory has far too much perception for a human.<p>

"Nahh," he drawls. "You're just lucky, that's all. You don't want to keep Amy waiting, do you? Go on, you _beautifully_ married man."  
>He winks again and Rory nods and skips up the stairs with subdued elation.<p>

The Doctors smile disappears as Rory passes into another room.  
>Sometimes he wonders if the Ponds are more trouble than they are worth.<p>

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><p><strong>AN: **So is anyone else kinda worried about Rory? Like anyone? Because Moffat has _'_killed him off' three times now technically. And I'm worried that there might be more to this than might meet the eye. Please let me be wrong. :(  
>Because this is rather angsty, I'll probably make the next one light-hearted... Depends on what context I use I suppose.<br>And I really want to write an Rory/Amy fic to this episode because they were so fantastic. I'll probably do it tomorrow.  
>Anyway I wrote this quite quickly so I know its not perfect and I apologize for that, but please enjoy :) <strong>R<strong>&**R**!


	4. Life & Death

Reassurances - **Life & Death**

**A/N:** Thank you for the reviews so far! I really appreciate all your comments.  
>Oh my god... We <em>almost<em> had a Doctor/Rory bonding moment in the actual show! _Almost_! Unfortunately it was cut a bit short so I decided to expand it here. :)  
>We can definitely see them getting closer in the show, which I really enjoy! ^^<p>

Also, is it weird that I'm sorta starting to ship Doctor/Tardis?

_Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who. _

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><p>The Doctor is desolate for a while but in all his hundreds of years he has mastered the art of a cheery disposition and displays it astutely.<p>

Rory wears his dejection like a sleeve.

He's a _nurse_ but why does that seem to mean so little whenever the Doctor's around. Years of medical training, years more to come and still he can only _attempt_ to cure the ailments of one small little planet. It's a tiny, tiny thing in the grand scope of the universe – or even _outside_ the universe as recently proved. And the best he can understand it is through 'bubbles'... child's play to the Doctor.  
>All humans are children in the end; and there is no amendment.<p>

Amy is picking out their bedroom. He doesn't mind at all what it's like as long as he can share it with her... and without the bunk beds of course. Admittedly it was fun the first few nights. Amy had scoffed at the idea of using both and pulled him into the bottom bunk with her. But squeezed into a tight space with his extremely sexy wife all night proves detrimental to his rest. Plus he can do without the ache of banging his head on the bottom bunk every morning when he wakes up. The Doctor has an aversely callow sense of humour sometimes.

He finds the Doctor underneath the central control, fiddling with the wires even _more_ lovingly than he used to. Like he's delicately aware that the Tardis is alive, that _she_ is alive. He'd never thought of his Tardis as having a specific gender before... He supposes it-no, _she_ still doesn't. But now he can't think of her as anything but a woman; anything but sexy.  
>He looks up to see that Rory sitting on the stairs; elbows on knees, hands on chin, looking glum. A few sparks fly out of the wire he's adjusting and he drops it quickly. Rory stares straight ahead. "So... do you think you might like her more than River now?"<br>"Who?"  
>"The Tardis." Rory gestures absently towards the wires. "<em>Her<em>, I mean."

The Doctor flashes him a grin and admires his big blue box as he sees her now. It's true that he and the Tardis will always have an affinity. But she, or _it_, is still a machine after-all.  
>"Don't be ridiculous, Rory. She has a bit of a crush on you anyway, pretty boy; Amy should probably watch out, she likes to <em>tease<em>."  
>"What? No-but... you <em>did<em> keep calling her sexy. You _always_ call it-her, _sorry_, sexy."

"And why shouldn't I!" He crows and throws his arms up to all the technical architecture around him. "Because she _is_ magnificent! A Beautiful, wonderful _very_ sexy thing."  
>"And she's dead..." Rory mumbles. And his head falls forward in despair.<p>

"No, no, no, she's very much alive!" The Doctor assures hastily. "Look around you Rory, _this_ is her life. The only thing that died was her voice."  
>Rory's voice comes out slightly muffled. "I wasn't talking about her, Doctor. The woman... the woman, the body she was using. She died right in my arms, and I couldn't do a single thing... I was... I was useless."<p>

Come aliens or hyperbolic machines, Rory has no helpful experience and it quite literally kills. Obviously he can't save everyone but... he can't be passive either.  
>No-one ever dies in Leadworth. All the medical attention that little village needs requires nothing more than to issue a few pills, maybe slap a plaster on a few bruises. Rory has to go to the next town to get any useful training. He's never seen anyone die before.<p>

"Rory, she wasn't really alive," the Doctor says. "Well she was but, she was just _parts_, parts of other people. And it wasn't sustainable in the end. There was nothing _anyone_ could do, I'm sorry."  
>He gives up too easily sometimes... or Rory hopes too foolishly, naively.<br>"Then what's the point of any of it? If there's nothing anyone can do... not at the end of things. What's the use of prolonging something that's just going to end?"

The Doctor steps closer to the stairs and leans over the railings. He looks down at Rory empathetically. "Because that's _life_," he says. "That's what being alive really _is_. Nothing is worth it without putting time into it... Think of how much time it took to tame Amy."  
>Rory laughs suddenly and nods. "A long time..."<br>"And was it worth it?"  
>Rory only smiles.<p>

"So, what do you _do_ when you aren't saving the world, or consoling your companions?" He asks, knowing the Doctor will in his own magnificent little way _avoid_ answering the question by answering it. He still doesn't know if the Doctor has his own room. He doesn't know _anything_ but strangely it doesn't bother him... well, not so much, not anymore.  
>"<em>Well<em>, sometimes I like to save the universe too," The Doctor answers with a cheeky smile. It's just like him... The _him_ that Rory knows.

The Doctor will die in 200 years.

Rory wonders if he'll ever look back and think it was all worth it in the end.

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><p><strong>AN:** Sorry it's not quite as long or as worked on as the others. I'm very tired and I've been watching True Blood and I wanted to get this out tonight because I have exams all this week. Hope you enjoyed! **R**&**R **:)

Looks like i'm not the only one with a worry about Rory. I don't think they'll necessarily kill him off (for real I mean) but I _do_ think that something big is going to happen concerning him. And... as for the Rory/Amy parts in the episode... when they were messing with Amy's mind. All that writing on the wall about hating/killing Amy, and his violence and everything. I know that wasn't him, but what if it's foreshadowing for something terrible! Please let it not be so! Don't twist my Rory :(


	5. Resonance of Fate

Reassurances - **Resonance of Fate**

**A/N:** I know this is really late, and I only have the excuse of exams and a new PS3 ;3 (The title for this chapter is actually based off a console game I want. It kinda fit the content)  
>This is based on the ending of <em>The Rebel FleshAlmost People_ two-parter. When it ended I was _so_ hoping for some Rory/Doctor bromance as they searched for Amy. But I guess not ^^" Still, Rory was freaking awesome (way to man-up!) and I loved it none-the-less. River Songs reveal wasn't really that shocking to me, but I think the actual reveal was handled excellently. Plus it was only unsurprising because I've been contemplating it for so long. I love it though. They really _are_ a little time travelling family now!

Plus, I'm glad I'm not the only one on the Doctor/Tardis ship now ;)

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Doctor who. _

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><p>As soon she disappears from his sight an insatiable anger fills Rory. He knew, the Doctor, that marvellous, brilliant, man. The Doctor everybody loves, and trusts and admires. He knew.<p>

"How long?" Rory demands; his voice quiet but quivering with rage.  
>The Doctor runs his hands up and down his braces, his hair flops over his eyes, dark and brooding. He doesn't answer.<br>"How long did you know?"  
>"Not long, Rory, I promise."<br>"You _knew_. You _knew_ and you didn't tell me."  
>"Look, Rory, I'm sorry."<p>

"No, _no_. No, sorry won't work this time, Doctor." Rory can't keep still. His fingers race from his sides to his hair to the Doctors shoulders. "Why did you have to kill-no... _destroy_ her! It was Amy, it _was_ her! Why couldn't she stay with us?"  
>The Doctor furrows his brows but he has to do this, breaking all that Rory believes... distrust. "It hasn't been Amy for a long time, Rory. She had to go, it was time."<br>"Time for _what?_"  
>"Time to... push.."<br>"She's _not_ pregnant!"  
>"<em>Yes,<em> Rory, she is."

Rory groans, a deep, roaring, agonising sound. "She _can't_ be."  
>The Doctor is swimming in his own internal conflict. Tears lie behind hooded eyes. The Doctor, always trusted, always doing what he has to. Always for the greater good.<p>

Something is going to happen with Rory and he doesn't know what. It always frustrates him when he finds something he can't configure, or easily solve; something he hasn't practised. Frustrates him and more importantly fascinates him. The Doctor is not aided with superstition but there's a nagging feeling he just can't quell. About Rory; about the boy who lived 2,000 years to protect, about the boy who waited.

He knows that there won't be anything he can do to stop it – not that he knows what _it_ is. When it comes it comes, and what happens... happens. The Doctor doesn't accept fate. He would sooner move sky and earth and stars - or burn them up as he's better known for - to save Rory, to save his _friend_. But he's not going to. He thought it was going to be among the rebel flesh, that Rory would take his dying breath saving a girl already beyond his reach. Jennifer was supposed to be his undoing.

He still remembers Amy tugging at his sleeve, bleary determined eyes, almost childlike, demanding to rescue her husband. A stagnant tear hides behind his mask of a face as he remembers repeatedly brushing her off. It _has_ to happen. There was a time he almost backed out. Offered to drop them off for fish and chips before visiting the flesh and dealing with them himself – alone, like the times of old. But Amy, _stupid_, wonderfully determined Amy insisted of course, like always. She didn't know what she might be condemning her husband to, what might and _had_ to happen. But of course it didn't happen in the end. He lived to see another day. It's relieving and curiously remarkable all at the same time.

"Rory, I'm sorry I didn't tell you."  
>"You shouldn't have kept it from me. <em>Why, <em>why did you? I could have saved her." Rory voice is muffled; amplified only when he raises his head to stare the Doctor down.

The Doctor stares at this man who is still alive but shouldn't be; a man who could have been a time lord if fate had gifted him differently, as laughable as it seems. This man has a hidden quality within him. Not to mention the fact he's already survived three lives. "That's exactly why I didn't tell you," the Doctor states simply. "She can't be saved yet, not until she gives birth. We couldn't... it's too risky, Rory."

Rory's mouth drops open rather adorably for a human. His eyes expand before squeezing shut tightly and his hands shiver in mid-air, rested on some invisible surface. "You mean... she's actually going to give birth? She's actually pregnant? Oh... but... she's not ready for this! Doctor, why is it now?" Rory weakens and clasps the railing for vague support. "When?" He rasps, like he's lost all hydration. "When is she going to..."

The Doctor winces. "Well, really... now I don't know for certain of course-"  
>"Doctor!"<br>"Now," he ramblingly admits. "About now probably, yes."  
>"Now? As in right this minute, now?" Rory cries and the Doctor feebly nods. Rory flies into a panic. "Oh my god, oh <em>god.<em> I have to be there with her, we have to find her immediately! I can't leave her alone to do this, Doctor! _Please_, I have to find her."

The Doctor sighs. Of course he agrees, but really; running around like some sort of head-less mammal isn't going to accomplish anything now, is it. "Just, calm down, Rory," he says starkly. "We'll find her."  
>"Well <em>where? <em>Do you know where she is?" He says, hands unable to keep still. Then he turns more subdue. "Does this mean I'm going to be a father... Doctor?"

"Maybe..." The Doctor answers. Then seeing the look of elation drop from Rory's face he hurries to reassure him. "Probably, I mean. Yes, yes of course! Papa Rory, what else, what else."

The darkness still resides in the deep concaves of his mind, it's still waiting.

Parenthood will change this strange little family.  
>The time for unity is nearing its end.<p>

Rory, bless him, is so conflicted. So happy, and angry and distraught. So focused on one goal and one only. That leaves the Doctor to take care of the rest of the universe. But it can't be helped. Rory _is_ only human after-all, right? Amy is waiting for them and they will come, whatever it takes. Rory will make sure of that.

But the Doctor is unsure now. Unsure whether he can stand by and watch the universe claim the life of Rory Williams.

Not now there's a child involved.

The Doctor can't stand to see a child cry.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I _so_ wanted something like this to be at the start of the finale. Anyway, I can't keep myself from exploring the ominous overtones of Rory's existence. I really do get the feeling something bad is going to happen to him. Although despite this, I'm starting to doubt if it will be explored in the show. Still, I can't shake what happened in 'The Doctor's Wife'. It seemed too intense to stay within that episode.  
>Since I haven't updated in so long, I think I may do another chapter while they search for Amy, then one for the finale. If you want to see something like that or anything else, please review and let me know :)<p>

Anyway, I'm off now to play some Uncharted 2. The next chapter will probably be out sometime soon after Tuesday - my last exam. **R**&**R**


	6. Love & War

Reassurances - **Love & War**

**A/N:** This is sooner than I expected to publish, but I suddenly have like a billion ideas for this and I want to write them all down! D;  
>Oh and thanks for pointing out that Rory <em>would<em> have seen someone die, cof2e2. You're right! I kinda missed that! ^^"  
>Inspiration suddenly came to me last night while I was supposed to be revising and I wrote this in about an hour. This chapter - along with the last one - fills in the missing bromance moments between episode 6 and 7. Enjoy!<p>

_Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, or this awesome bromance :[_

* * *

><p>"So... where now? Where do we go first?" Rory asks, determined to keep the tears from his eyes, determined to be strong.<p>

Amy is now far away, hidden, tucked away somewhere in time and space; a tiny pocket of air in the whole of existence. But Rory will find her. He will find a way to rescue her from whatever prison she is trapped in. There's no question about that. But... there's a slight problem.

He has no idea where to start.  
>And that means putting all his hope, all his faith and trust in the Doctor.<br>Rory has a slight problem with that. The Doctor is nothing if not inconsistent.

The loss of Amy is like a weight upon his heart. His body is heavier, and words of sorrow and grievance are at the forefront of his vocabulary. He's learnt to trust the Doctor implicitly but he never thought, _stupidly_ never thought, that something as precious as Amy's life would be put to the test. The Doctor will stop at nothing; but his true aims are often hazy. Rory knows that _his_ job is to remind him of what it is exactly that must be saved.

The Doctor smiles at Rory, the one that always cracks through whatever sorrow he encounters and is pushed to the back of his lardy time lord brain.  
>"Ahahaha!" He says, pinpointing Rory with the stub of his finger. "Anywhere, everywhere. The world is our playground. No, really not the time for that... The world is our oyster, Rory!"<br>"Look, this isn't the time for your... _weird_ sayings, we need-"  
>"It's not mine, it's Shakespeare's!" Said the Doctor, looking mildly offended. "Though I <em>can<em> take a little credit... bought him his first oyster... loved it..."  
>"No, you're not listening to me. And what do you mean <em>anywhere?<em> Not _anywhere_! We need to find Amy. We need to go to where she is."

"And where is she?"  
>Rory gasps, exasperated, and flails his hands in a show of unrest. "Well <em>you're <em>the Doctor! Aren't you supposed to know?"  
>"She's your wife, Rory."<p>

"Don't you think I know that? What, so you think married couples have some kind of _radar_ to detect each other? Or something... crazy. No, that's just ridiculous, it doesn't _work_ like that. I live in Leadworth, Doctor, in the _normal_ world. You're a time lord! And you act like you bloody well know everything."  
>The Doctor tilts his head slightly. "Well, I do know a lot."<br>"Yeah, just... there are so many buttons on this thing, look!" Rory gestures to the centre control, laden with colourful levers and switches. "You're telling me that not _one_ of them will help me find Amy?"  
>The Doctor remains passive and Rory scoffs humourlessly. "You can't fix anything... great Doctor you are."<p>

The Doctor grinds his teeth and suddenly he is all in Rory's face. His dark hair hangs menacingly over Rory's brows. The bow tie bristles just beneath his chin. To an unconcerned viewer it looks almost like a lovers embrace. Except the Doctor is angrier than Rory has ever seen him, he looks more alien than ever before. "I _am_ the Doctor," he growls. "I _will_ save her. And _you_ will shut up and help me."  
>"OK," Rory squeaks, and he is released from the Doctors hold. He quickly brushes himself off. "I'm... sorry," he says uncertainly. "It's just, I'm so worried about her."<br>"I know." The Doctor languidly steps across the Tardis, fondling the console as he moves.

"Right," he says and picks up a little animation. "First things first then."  
>Rory brightens significantly. "Does that mean you know what to do? You know how to save her?"<br>"Of course I do, Rory. I'm the Doctor," he repeats.  
>"How?" Rory steps up to meet the Doctors shoulder.<br>The Doctor grins at him and flicks a lever almost carelessly. "By calling in some old debts." The Tardis whirs into motion.

"Oh, and one other thing!" The Doctor has to yell over the noise. He hops as gracefully as he can through the interior doors and soon returns with a coat hanger. "You should wear this," he says, a look of pure comic delight adorning his face. Rory takes one look at it and starkly refuses.  
>"No, no way." It's his old centurion clothing. "Never again."<br>"Oh, no really, Rory? But it's fantastic! This is genuine centurion costume. Look at these studs, the leather sandals, and the cloak! I've always wanted a cloak."  
>"I know, I did <em>wear<em> it for 2,000 years... sort of. Why don't you have it then?"  
>The Doctor pinches his fingers and gives Rory a disgusted look. "Oh, no, no, no. <em>Rory.<em> After Amy made you use it for that, that quite frankly, _weird_ foreplay? Oh _no._"  
>Rory blushes intensively. "It wasn't like that!"<p>

The Tardis stops and throws Rory to the ground while the Doctor balances delicately on a lower step. "Still," he says, clasping his hands together. "Things to do, people to see!"  
>He pops his head out the front doors and nods in affirmation. "This is where we part, Rory."<br>"Already?" Rory questions obstructively. "But we need to find out where she is?"

The Doctor nods at him obviously. "Yes, well, that's your job. Put it on now." He says, gesturing to the costume. "It'll help, make you look more assertive." Rory stares back at him, dumbfounded. "Maybe..."  
>The Doctor decides he'd better explain. Rory is never secure without an explanation. "There's a cyber fleet, we're inside the main ship now actually, they hear everything," he says. "You need to storm in there and demand to know where Amy is. They <em>will<em> know where she is."

"But they'll kill me! As soon as I get inside, Doctor. They won't tell me anything. This armour isn't going to protect me."  
>"No, no, I know. That's just for show really." The Doctors halts and steps closer to Rory. "But <em>I<em> will protect you. Believe in that, Rory, promise me." He helps him set the cloak across his back.

"Now you need to listen to me. You're going to have to act like never before, this is really important. You need to give them a message from me, just tell them that, a message. They need to think that you're ...deadly and angry and that nothing in the entire universe will stop you. Can you do that, Rory?"

Rory nods, sets the sword to hand – it has moulded perfectly to fit – and looks out into the vast amount of gray that is a cyber spaceship.  
>He turns back a little, slight enough to see.<p>

"I won't be acting, Doctor."  
>And forward he steps into the danger he'll never regret.<p>

And the Doctor sets the Tardis in motion once more.  
>"Hold on, Pond.. Little Pond too by now, I suppose." He speaks in half a whisper.<p>

"We're coming for you."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** The next chapter will probably be a bit angst ridden, considering the events of the last episode. And for the chapter after that, I was thinking I'd nod back to chapter two. Now that Rory know's River Song is his daughter, his opinion on her relationship with the Doctor has _got_ to be different! It could make for quite a humorous chapter ;) Would anyone want to see something like that? **R**&**R**!

**Oh,** and I was stalking Rory's character bio on the Doctor Who website - what can I say, awesome right? - and I saw this: _"And he worries that Amy's only with him because he reminds her of the Time Lord. A bit."_! That is _so_ exactly what I was thinking! Rory = human time lord, I mean. Not why Amy's with him. They should so allude to this in the show!


	7. The Angry Roman

Reassurances - **The Angry Roman**

**A/N:** Hi! I'm back with this story to anyone who enjoyed it. I know I said at the end of the last chapter that I'd do a chapter where Rory was annoyed at the Doctor for kissing River, who he discovered as his daughter. Well it's a little late I know, but here as promised (twice as long) in the form of Let's Kill Hitler. Which, by the way, was a _bamf _of an episode! Rory punched Hitler and a Nazi and told Hitler to shutup and put Hitler in a cupboard. That alone made me fall in love with it.

_Disclaimer: I don't Doctor Who or Rory's Nazi punching fists._

* * *

><p>In all his years of med school – it's not a lot or anything, he's no <em>Doctor<em> – but Rory never thought he'd be driving crop circles with his beat up car on the frenzied orders of his wife. Not to mention Amy is completely rubbish at directions. He's almost frustrated enough to slam on the brakes, snatch the 'map' out of her hands and give her the wheel. But you know he's really not stupid enough to warrant her wrath or trust her driving. So he'll just have to deal with her screaming inaudible and (usually) incorrect directions in his ear.

The 'map' is a crudely drawn set of circles and coordinates in black sharpie and Rory sighs at the memory of their entire afternoon figuring the science of it. Crop circles are advertised enough. You'd think with over ten thousand discovered since the 1970s there'd be more information on how to actually create one; but apparently not.

Rory wanted to do more research. Amy, of course, was impatient and wanted to risk his battered and beloved old car. They argued... well for about ten seconds; and now here they are.

But he understands her hurry; really he does; because the only thing holding him back is his caution, naturally instilled within him. It's their _daughter_. If it's River Song – an idea which he hasn't fully wrapped his head around yet – he supposes that she's safe or she _will_ be safe. But that isn't the point is it. She isn't with _them_. He can't help feeling like he should have more of a connection to her. How they spent so much time with her, with River, without realising a thing. Rory has an excellent bedside manner and new mothers _and _fathers he's treated all tell him of the special connection they have with their child, a bond they feel could never be broken. He's felt it with Melody Pond; the baby, small in the crook of his arms, but not once has he felt it with River.

"STTTOOOOPPPPPPP!" Amy yells in his ear and Rory smashes on the brakes just as they break into the 'O' of their creation. There he is, posing languidly in front of his little blue box, newspaper slapped to his chest, sporting a look of cynicism and vague amusement. There's no sign of Melody. "He came, I knew he would come. He always comes."  
>"Eventually..." Rory sighs as Amy slams the door on her side.<p>

_Eventually_ isn't always enough.

**They're in Hitler's office** before they get a moment to talk. Rory's just _punched_ Hitler. It feels like the best bloody thing in the world, the universe even. Amy's looking at him behind glazed eyes; half in shock, half like she wants to take him right here on Hitler's office floor. She didn't look like that when he graduated from nursing school. Using his fists... It's better than using a broom at least.

"Rory, put Hitler in the cupboard!"

Now this really is insane. He grabs the Führer by his coat lapels and shoves him in, slams the door and takes a deep breath. He just locked one of the most feared rulers in history in a _cupboard_. If Churchill had only known that's what it would take...  
>"Doctor!" He calls out just as the mad man paces by him for what seems the hundredth time. He whirls around quickly, delightfully.<p>

"Yes, yes. Is Hitler in the cupboard?"  
>"Uh, yes... Hitler's in the cupboard... <em>Why<em> exactly did I just lock Hitler in a cupboard?"

"_Why_? Well why not? Also I don't think he'd like Amy too much. You, you're okay, you're blonde and submissive." He gestures fluidly.

Amy glares daggers at them both as she brushes herself down. "Are you saying that because I'm ginger?"  
>He points at her skirt, grins at her and flounces off. "Oh," she says and tugs it down a little. The Doctor begins his ever vapid pacing again before Rory catches his arm.<p>

"Doctor, I need to talk to you about something, it's-"

He's interrupted by the sound of his life-long friend collapsing on the other side of the room.

**The Doctor dies and is resurrected** before he ever gets a chance to think calmly. Oh and his daughter is, or _was_ a complete psychopath or something. Oh, and he was inside a giant robot replica of his wife. He's trying not to see it as a metaphor.  
>But <em>finally <em>everything's quiet now. The Doctor hasn't any excuse to avoid him anymore.

Amy's gone to bed. She's just realised that the Doctor never finds her daughter, not soon enough; just _eventually_. They'll never get to raise her; not in the way they wanted, and not in the way they should. He'll join her in a minute. He'll entwine his hand with hers, kiss her forehead, hug her close; cry with her... probably. They'll fall asleep fully clothed with tears on their cheeks. But right now there's something he has to do.

"Doctor," he braves as he spies him next to the console. How much tinkering needs to be done on the Tardis anyway? It's supposed to be hyper-advanced technology so Rory supposes that more than half of the Doctor's 'repairs' are just experimentation; 'fun'.

But he's just staring at a screen, perfectly still.

That is until he detects Rory's approach. He shakes himself as if it were a dream and then flicks a switch and whatever was on the screen fades to black. "What are you doing?" Rory asks completely seriously.  
>"Oh not much, time off, you know. I think we all deserve some time off after today, don't you. It was a bit... difficult. And what a day! You punched Hitler, locked him in a cupboard. Didn't know you had it in you, my boy. But probably for the best if we don't visit again. Don't think we left on the best of terms, really."<br>"But what was on the screen?"  
>"Oh, just fashion week, 2060. A lot of <em>hats<em>... I was waiting for the big fez debut." Rory knows better than to expect a serious answer. The Doctor's hand jerks up to his bow tie and tightens it.

"What did you want to talk about?"  
>Well here goes then. Rory takes a deep breath and a cough and he cocks his head to look the Doctor in the eye.<p>

"Yes. Just let me get this straight. You kissed River Song. Twice."  
>The Doctors grin animates him again. "Oh, yes."<br>"And... Mels is my daughter. Mels is Melody Pond."  
>The Doctor nods again and notices Rory's eyes have suddenly become like vacuums.<br>"And Melody Pond is River Song."  
>"Yeees-oh..." The grin slides from the Doctors face and an intermittent thunder strikes Rory's.<p>

"You kiss my _wife_ and then my _daughter_." He advances on the Doctor with his brows heavily set into his eyes.  
>"Well, well yes, but really, technically they kissed <em>me<em>. But no oh, no well I guess that really isn't important, is it?" The Doctor scrabbles against the metal railing and laughs nervously. He really should've seen this coming. But in the grand scope of the universe, over-protective husband and father didn't really figure high in his list of concerns.

"You kissed them both."  
>"Well I could kiss you if you'd like? The Ponds? Happy family? No? No, no, no. Don't look so offended! It was only a joke. Time Lords can joke." He's just glad Rory doesn't have his centurion sword handy. If the boy can take down a headless monk, he can damage the Doctor's pretty face at the very least.<p>

"Do you realise how risky that was!"

The Doctor pauses his fear for a second. "Wait... _risky?_"  
>"You're an alien! A <em>time-<em>travelling alien! Who knows what kind of virus's you could be carrying from _anywhere_! In all of space and time! You might survive it, being a time lord and all, but all it takes is some close skin contact and... and _boom _infected! Melody, River, whatever I should call her; my daughter, she's still at least half-human, right? I can't believe how irresponsible you can be!"

Well, Rory might be an overprotective husband and father; but he's also a nurse.

The Doctor blinks. "Oh... well, I have kissed other humans before, Rory." Loved a far deal less than he _kissed_.  
>"Yeah, but... still. You should really be more wary. You could wipe out the planet in the process of trying to save it if you're too careless."<p>

The Doctor nods and laughs and flings an arm around his companions back. "You know, I thought you were going to tell me off for something completely different for a few moments. You really do surprise me sometimes."

"Oh! Right, yeah, yeah," Rory says. He moves and lets the Doctors arm fall away.  
>He turns back with a snarl on his face. "If you <em>EVER<em> kiss my wife, or, _or_ my daughter again, I will... I will _hurt_ you." It's less threatening without the sword.

"Right, yes, of course. Never again," says the Doctor blankly.

He skips off around the console and winks at Rory. "I can't promise she won't kiss _me_ though."  
>Rory makes to start after him and he runs around the other side effectively. "Oh, Rory! She's strong, I can't help it! Get's it from her mother I suppose."<p>

Rory really is ready to fish out that sword and make another headless monk, so the Doctor decides to quit while he's ahead.  
>He steps again towards his friend whose belated glare tells him he really is getting rather annoyed. "River certainly gets her attitude from her mother. But as for the rest of it, well... I don't believe Amy's ever punched a Nazi."<p>

"Hitler. Hitler's more important than a Nazi."  
>"Right, Hitler, yes; more important."<p>

For a few moments the only sound surrounds from the intermittent whirring of the Tardis.  
>"I suppose it's okay."<br>"What is? What's okay?"  
>"Shut up for a second! I mean... you and... my-River, I mean. If you really want to. I mean as long as you <em>really<em> want to. She's old enough to make her own decisions... oddly enough."  
>It's a profound silence this time; and the Doctor watches with a humble grace as Rory stumbles over his words.<p>

"I suppose it would be okay, only-"  
>"Thank you, Rory."<br>He mumbles and nods and avoids the Doctors gaze. "It means a lot."

"Yeah okay... I'm going to bed. Amy'll wonder where I am."  
>"Rory?"<br>He suddenly turns back down the steps he just slumped up and slaps his fingers through his hair in frustration. "You were there when she was born! I mean it's just weird! And I know you look young but Doctor, the _age_ gap. I'd be crazy if I wasn't just a little concerned over a thousand year age-gap! And... and you're nuts! I mean _seriously _crazy... No offence."

The Doctor smiles. "None taken."

"I'm scared every minute of every single day we travel with you. Amy could die at any moment and I wouldn't be able to do a thing to stop it. I've _already_ died more times than I can count. I'm just scared that someday I'll lose her and she won't come back. Doctor, I can live with that. Because I know someday it will end. Someday, twenty-first century Earth will be enough for her and we'll stop travelling. Your companions don't travel with you forever, do they?"  
>"No," the Doctor says; all trace of a smile gone. "They don't."<p>

"But with River; my daughter. It's like she wants to be with you forever. She just used up her remaining 're-generations' saving _you._ You're travelling in opposite directions aren't you, Doctor... You've seen her end haven't you."

There it was. The question.  
>The Doctor turns back to the console and the black screen, a deep vacuum in his mind. Death comes to them all, and he forever the bystander.<br>And now at last it's coming for him.

"Rory, I think Amy needs you. You'd better go to her."

The look on Rory's face is stagnant as he grips the railings. Somehow it seems right to blame the Doctor.  
>Because maybe none of this would have happened if he hadn't appeared from the sky long ago and fascinated a little Scottish girl. Maybe Amy wouldn't have needed therapy.<p>

But then what else won't have happened.  
>Maybe she never would have realised she loved him. Maybe they never would have married. Maybe she would have grown bored of Leadworth too quickly with no-one to wait for and moved away. Maybe he wouldn't be a nurse. Maybe he wouldn't be a warrior. Maybe he wouldn't be able to protect her like he can now.<p>

So in the end he has to be grateful.  
>Grateful for all the opportunity life with the Doctor gives you. He isn't immune to it either.<p>

"Yes, Doctor," he says; and within five minutes he's holding his wife in bed. She cries to him, whispers her sorrows and he hugs her close.  
>They fall asleep with tears on their cheeks.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** This is just one of those chapters where I can't decide to do angst or humor so I end up doing a little of both and it ends up really weird. Yeah, sorry about that. Not as much of it as planned was actually about River but, hey! My words run away with me when I write. I just had to do the Nurse thing!  
>Still this episode was just so awesome and there's a lot more I could write about it, so I'm hoping to get another chapter out before the next episode.<br>Send me prompts to help me out please! :D **R**&**R**!


	8. Crying Children

Reassurances - **Crying Children**

**A/N:** A-level life is so freaking hectic. I should really know that by now as I'm in my second year...  
>But that's why this chapter is so late. I wasn't originally planning to write about this episode because it didn't really have anything I was inspired by. Until the day before TGWW I quickly wrote this <em>but never published.<em> Anyway I'm still planning to do an chapter per episode - I'll catch up before the finale.

_Disclaimer: I don't Doctor Who or Matt Smith's swag._

* * *

><p>"Amy said you hated to see children cry."<br>"I do."

"You're so... strange."

It's an understatement of which they are both well aware.  
>"You saved all those children on that <em>weird<em> flying whale thing. And you rushed straight to this flat when a frightened kid sent a message. I just, I don't get you."  
>The Doctor furrows his brow and checks to see that Amy is still asleep. She exerts herself more than the other two; hungry for adventure, and she pays for it in fatigue. "Mad man with a box... what's not to get."<p>

Rory isn't put off though. "For god's sake, don't be stupid, Doctor. You know what I meant."

The Doctor evidently doesn't.

"Melody, how can you forget about _Melody? _How do you know _she_ isn't crying somewhere out there in the universe. She means something to you, so why is it so hard for you to find her? Why are you saving strangers and not my daughter, Doctor? Why should she be left to cry alone while you empty... some _kids_ cupboard."

A wave of contemplation rushes over the two and the Doctor is pained. Poor Rory; his heart is forever in it but not his brain.  
>"Rory, I need you to understand this. Melody is River."<p>

"No," Rory stands and refuses to face his friend. "I understand you, I get you, I really do. I'm not stupid. But she won't be River for at least another twenty years. Right now she's alone, and crying, and Doctor how can I leave her. How can you ask me to ignore that!"

"Listen to me," says the Doctor, anxiety riding his brows. "I'm sorry I never found her. You don't know how sorry. But we can't change how any of it happened. River would cease to exist, our _past_ would be erased."  
>"<em>I don't care!"<em>

"You don't," he nods. "Rightly so. You're Rory, you're a nurse. You don't get to make these decisions." He leans forward until the bow of his hair flops sorrowfully in Rory's face. "It's my choice. I'm sorry."

Rory deflates, sits again and brings a hand to rest through Amy's hair. He feels guilty about yelling now but thankfully she's still sleeping. She twinges a bit and her hand stiffens. She's probably still uncomfortable about having been a wooden doll. His hand unconsciously closes around hers and warms it. It parallels their hearts and suddenly Rory is calm again.

"Amy, she'll be alright," starts the Doctor but Rory just looks at him silently. "She understands, she's happy."

Rory's thumb brushes against his wife's cheek and he keeps his head bowed, staring at the soft pigment in her cheeks. "She might understand, Doctor, but don't ever say she's happy." His voice breaks a little as he wipes below her eyes. "She's crying in her sleep."

The Doctor sees it and it breaks his heart. He almost wishes Rory weren't here; Rory, who won't let him avoid himself; ever sensible Rory who won't even give him a few hours to pretend like everything's okay. But that's because it _isn't_.  
>"I don't what I can say to make it better, Rory." It's the closest his voice has ever come to cracking.<p>

"You can't," says Rory, his face almost stoically calm. "You can't make it better. Just... don't say anything... please."

The Doctor keeps his silence. And in their different ways they grieve.  
>Nothing precise; just for what is coming, what will pass; and what already has. Just the impending dissolution of a partnership felt so equally.<br>Just nothing.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **So yeah, this was the shortest one I've done, but I didn't really feel like there was much left to say (for this episode) TGWW is next! God I loved that episode. Cried almost as much as Doomsday... ;_; Darvills faaaaace. Anyway, I'm afraid this chapter won't make much sense if all the speculation about the series 6 episodes being completely out of order (God Complex having come before the opening two-parter - for Amy and Rory) is true. But I'm leaving it anyway. _Speaking of the God Complex... my bb's are gone ;_;_ BUT I WILL NEVER STOP LIVING THIS BROMANCE.


End file.
